The use of Flash to build websites skewers business owners and web developers firmly on the horns of a dilemma.  How do you balance the beautiful design and interactive user experience offered by Flash, with the rigorous demands of search engine optimisation?

Flash is one of several Rich Internet Applications, alongside Ajax, Curl and Silverlight, that presents big challenges in the quest for a Search Engine Friendly website.

My advice to small businesses is simple:  avoid building the entire websites in  Flash, when possible.

For every rule there is an exception, but my rule of thumb is based on my own experience of the search results and working on SEO projects.  It is rare indeed when you find a small business Flash site ranking highly in the search results.

I know the Flash developers out there will come charging at me, throwing spears and baying for my scalp.  And so there are the exceptions to that rule.

If Search Engine Optimisation is a requirement of the site, there are number of steps the sufficiently skilled developer can take to move the site towards becoming SEO friendly. These are “workarounds” that are essentially extra steps to take to get the Flash content visible to the spiders.

1. Create keyword rich URLS for each section of the site that needs to be search engine optimised.  Flash sites that have a single URL are a flashing amber signal that they won’t rank well in search
2. Use variables in the SWF file that presents keyword rich content appropriate to the unique URL.  The spiders can “see” content in the Flash file, but the developer must have the skills to present this content in a search engine optimised manner.
3. Create both HTML and SWF versions of your content
4. Make the primary navigation on the site HTML
5. Create both an HTML and XML sitemap

What are the risks for small businesses who are persuaded by the developers to build the site using Flash?

1. The developer has to have the right skills set. Finding a developer who has demonstrable experience of optimising Flash may be difficult, and will certainly be more expensive than the alternatives.
2. Businesses are locked into a design that is not easy to update. Some developers are offering content  management systems that enable the user to update Title Tags and meta tags, but this isn’t updating the bulk of the content of the site, and it would need to be updating both the HTML and SWF files
3. Flash SEO is still its experimental phase. Businesses might be told that their Flash site isn’t ranking well because “it takes time to rank well in the search engines.“  That might be true, but I expect it is an excuse for bad programming, and the site won’t ever rank well.
4. Your SEO will really be about linking.  Having a Flash site will place extra demands in terms of the quality and quantity of topical inbound links.  Inbound linking is fundamental to the Google algorithm, but high ranking Flash sites will have had special emphasis placed on acquiring those perfect keyword rich anchor text links.

Adobe have just published a search engine optimisation guide for rich Internet applications and Google are working on improving their Flash indexing.

I spoke at a accountants’ conference earlier this week, and a delegate was keen to let me know only 20% of his clients use email.

Only 20%?  How can that be possible?

The Office of National Statistics have published a report that illustrates the kinds of people who do, and don’t, use the Internet. Approximately a quarter of the UK population doesn’t use the Internet.

The fractures appear along age, educational, and gender lines:

• 70% of people aged 65 or over have never used the Internet.
• 93% of people with a degree do have access to the Internet from home
• 29% of women have never used the Internet, where as only 20% of men have never been online

Other barriers might be geography, or cost

But perhaps most interestingly of all, 60% of the folk without access simply don’t want it,  or feel that they don’t need it.

Coming back to my accountant friend, he is based in rural Dorset and serving an older clientele.  On the one hand that would explain the lack of adoption of Internet, but my advise to his business would be to continue to test new Internet services for his clients.

Source:

http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/iahi0808.pdf

There are exciting changes afoot in Google search.  Run a search, and under the search box you will see a new navigation choice called “Show Options”

I initially discovered this by conducting a Local Search, but it is appearing in general web searching now, too.  Exploring through the new navigation options that appear on the left give you a whole new way of exploring the data.

The “Wonder Wheel” presents you with a graphic representation of related search concepts:

Once you have the Wonder Wheel open, then you can run any search (local or not) and get access to this cool new tool.

How might the Wonder Wheel be working? On the one hand it might simply be using the Google “Similar To” functionality.  However, a Wonder Wheel search on Susan Hallam brings up quite different results in addition to the normal related results.  It is incorporating information that is also contained in my various social networking profiles.  It would appear to be taking into consideration the typical relationships between web pages, but also incorporating the relationships real people have with other people and organisations.

In addition to the Wonder Wheel, you can explore by Content type, Recency, and a very interesting Time Line search:

I’m not seeing official information from Google to signpost to

There has been a groundswell of social media marketing opportunities for folk wanting to learn more about the benefits of all things Web 2.0

Here’s a quick round up of what’s on offer if you want to keep abreast of the latest in SMM:

MediaCamp is a free one-day “unconference” covering the latest digital trends, with a focus on Media, Technology & Culture.  It is taking place over the weekend of 9/10 May at Lace Market House, Nottingham.

Web 2.0 Surgery is an informal gathering of experts and clients to discuss all things Web 2.0, with a view to creating a Web 2.0 marketplace in Nottingham.

Nott Tuesday is a technology industry forum for Nottingham, aiming to position Nottingham as its rightful place as a technology powerhouse. It takes place every second Tuesday of the month, in Nottingham.

Network Nottingham is online networking environment for business professionals;  looks like lots of web 2.0 geeks are hanging out here.

Second Wednesday has been brought back to life;  originally established in 1999, it has returned after a 3 year hiatus.  Geeks unite for drinks, industry gossip and networking.

I have just completed the Google Analytics Qualification process, a continuing professional development certification programme that allows individuals to demonstrate their proficiency in web analytics.  The Google-administered qualification covers web analytics techniques and Google Analytics implementation, administration, and analysis tools.

Is this qualification valuable?  Well at this point there appears to be 700 or so people worldwide who have passed the exam.

This certification means we are qualified to deliver:

• Google Analytics Training courses
• Google Analytics Consultancy

Location: University College Dublin, Clinton Institute for American Studies

Dates: 13-17 July 2009

Making Overtures 2009 is Music Network’s intensive, professional development course aimed at Irish and Ireland-based professional musicians and composers working in all musical genres. The programme focuses on the non-artistic elements of a successful music career, particularly self-promotion and self-management.

The course will be delivered by experienced Irish and international professionals working in a range of relevant fields including media, marketing, programming, promotion, finance & taxation.

Susan will be presenting the e-marketing component of the course

Dates: Fri, 29 May 2009 – Fri, 5 Jun 2009

Venue: Newbattle Abbey College, near Edinburgh

The TMA’s week-long Essentials of Marketing courses provide the only opportunity of
their kind in Britain. Participants concentrate on all aspects of arts marketing,
benefiting from expert teaching and sharing experiences with one another, away from
the everyday working environment. This course will inspire people working in the
performing, visual, literary, community and participatory arts.

The course lasts for 7 full days, allowing plenty of time to study the large amount of
information provided, to work at an individual pace and for participants to focus on their
own organisation’s needs. Most of the work takes place in small, informal tutorial
groups complemented by lectures and discussion groups. In addition to discussing
ideas and experiences with colleagues, students benefit from practical advice and
guidance from specialist practitioners and the chance to work with different members
of the teaching team.

Susan will be a guest lecturer on the e-marketing elements of the course on Wednesday, 3 June 2009.

Download the course leaflet (PDF)

Date: Thursday 21 May 2009
Venue: Nottingham Trent University
Time: 9.30am – 4pm

This full day workshop is designed to give an overview of low cost Internet marketing opportunities offered to business start-ups, entrepreneurs and small businesses.

It will provide you with the information you need to make the right choices when planning a website, looking to generate substantial traffic to a website, and taking advantage of Internet advertising and communication tools.

Delivered by Susan Hallam an Internet marketing consultant from Hallam Communications Ltd, this workshop will be an action packed day, providing the information you need to set your Internet marketing priorities.

This training will cover the following:

• Planning the launch of a new website
• Getting found in Google: Search engine optimisation
• Your Internet Marketing Toolbox
• Commercial and legal issues of online marketing
• What’s new: Twitter, mashups, Web 2.0 and more…

Download the Course Leaflet

Food For Thought Conference:  18 May 2009

Macdonald Ansty Hall Hotel, Ansty, Nr Coventry

Susan will be presenting Top Tips to Market Your Business on the Internet

Is your business losing out to your competitors? Learn about the potential of
Internet marketing and why it is essential to capture business using the latest
technologies. Includes ideas as to how businesses can use Facebook and
Twitter to communicate and market themselves to customers.

See the Food and Drink 2009 website for further details.

UK Taxworld Conference

18/19 May 2009 Crowne Plaza Hotel, NEC Birmingham

“At some time this year we need to be prepared to create a “A Turning Point” – a time when we decide that recession is real enough, but isn’t it time we started adopting strategies to work our way out?

The UK Tax World conference this year will focus on relevant tax, marketing and other issues that offer strategic opportunities to create your own turning point for your firm and your clients.

Susan will be delivering an Internet marketing session at this conference;  visit their site for more details.